--- title: 'Manufacturing Daily Summary: What Happened on October 19, 2026' headline: AstraZeneca favors connected bioprocessing over continuous production alone description: The company is linking manufacturing steps as its plants run at capacity and expanding clinical production. url: https://thebench.bio/news/manufacturing/2026-10-19 topic: manufacturing date: '2026-10-19' covers: - '2026-10-19' date_published: '2026-10-20T00:04:41Z' date_modified: '2026-10-20T00:04:41Z' tags: - Manufacturing sources: 1 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Manufacturing Daily Summary: What Happened on October 19, 2026 **AstraZeneca favors connected bioprocessing over continuous production alone** The company is linking manufacturing steps as its plants run at capacity and expanding clinical production. ## Today in brief AstraZeneca is connecting and automating manufacturing operations rather than pursuing continuous production alone, executive Jon Coffman said. [1] Its plants are full, and the company outsources twice its in-house production volume, he said. [1] ## AstraZeneca connects production and processing AstraZeneca calls its approach integrated dynamic bioprocessing, linking upstream production and downstream processing while accounting for changing titers and product quality during runs. [1] Coffman estimated that connecting and automating operations in a 12,000-liter plant captures about 80% of the value of the company’s full platform. [1] Coffman said the company is building a clinical facility that will run batch and continuous processes side by side. [1] He said downstream integration can increase output when purification is the bottleneck and may require as little as 30 days’ notice. [1] Switching upstream production from fed-batch to perfusion could deliver five times the productivity in the same bioreactors, he said, but requires a substantial regulatory process. [1] AstraZeneca has pledged $50 billion for US manufacturing and research and development by 2030. [1] The company’s clinical manufacturing facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland, unveiled in November 2025, is scheduled to be fully operational in 2029. [1] ## The day in numbers - **80%**: Coffman’s estimate of the platform value captured by connecting and automating operations in a 12,000-liter plant. [1] - **5×**: Potential productivity from switching upstream production to perfusion in the same bioreactors, according to Coffman. [1] - **$50 billion**: AstraZeneca’s pledged US manufacturing and research and development investment through 2030. [1] ## Also published - [From development to commercial reality](), European Biotechnology - [Extractables in single-use systems used in ADC manufacturing](), BioPharma Dive - [How early should you engage a CDMO?](), BioPharma Dive ## Sources 1. [“Don’t call it continuous!” AstraZeneca expert talks integrated bioprocessing at BPI](), BioProcess International, 2026-10-19 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: